Hundreds, maybe thousands, of great books are published every year. But only a few novels (and not always the best ones) make a splash in the mainstream press. That is why we’re such big fans of The Believer‘s annual Book Award, which spotlights the year’s “strongest and most underappreciated” works of fiction. While we won’t know the winner until May, here’s the small press-heavy 2010 shortlist — which we heartily co-sign:
S P R A W L by Danielle Dutton (Siglia Press)
Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles by Kira Henehan (Milkweed Editions)
Next by James Hynes (Reagan Arthur Books)
The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich (Two Dollar Radio)
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (Faber & Faber)